Celiac Related Information

There are actually 187+ symptoms for Celiac Disease. Someday I'll type them all out but for now here's a list of some of the symptoms associated with Celiac Disease (also known as Celiac Sprue and Gluten Intolerance):

Lassitude (a term describing a feeling of tiredness, weakness or exhaustion) Inanition (exhaustion, as from lack of nourishment) Depression Fatigue (often chronic) Irritability Fuzzy-mindedness after gluten ingestion Dental enamel defects (lots of dental cavities due to weak enamel) General malnutrition with or without weightloss Any problem associated with vitamin deficiencies Diarrhea Constipation Lactose intolerance Flatulence Anorexia Nausea Vomiting Burning sensation in the throat Abdominal pain and bloating Borborygmi (audible bowel sounds) Abdominal distention Steatorrhea (fatty stools that float rather than sink) Foul smelling stools Bulky, greasy stools Anemia (iron deficiency) Hemorrhagic diathesis (bleeding disorder) Osteoporosis/osteopenia (bone loss or thinning) Bone pain (especially nocturnal) White flecks on fingernails Short stature (due to slow growth) Arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis Arthralgia (pain in the joints) Tetany (spasms and twitching of the muscles) Parasthesia (abnormal or impaired skin sensation including burning, prickling, itching, or tingling) Amenorrhea (absence of menstrual bleeding) Delayed puberty Infertility Impotence Cheilosis (inflammation, cracking and dryness of the lips) *Angular cheilosis (specifically cracking in the corners of the lips) Glossitis (swollen tongue) Stomatitis (any form of inflammation or ulceration of the mouth, such as mouth ulcers, cold sores, thrush, etc.) Purpura (purple or red spots on your skin caused by bleeding under the skin, more common in elderly) Follicular hyperkeratosis (corns, calluses, plantar warts, psoriasis, nail fungus) Atopic dermatitis (a tendency towards allergies and a predisposition to various allergic reactions) *Scaly dermatitis (inflammation of the skin, includes dandruff and topical allergic reactions) Hyperpigmented dermatitis (can't find the definition, must have something to do with the color of the rash?) Alopecia areata (loss or absence of hair, leaving the skin looking and feeling normal) Edema (accumulation of serum-like fluid in the body tissues) Ascites (accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity-the space between the abdominal wall and the organs) Selective IgA deficiency Seizures, with or without occipital calcification Hepatitis (inflammation of the liver, may be acute or chronic) Dermatitis herpetiformis (skin rash characterized as intensely itchy skin eruptions like red bumps and blisters. Burning, stinging and itching is very bad. It appears in groups around the body, most often on the head, elbows, knees, and buttocks, much like the lesions of Herpes which is why the name is herpetiformis-meaning "like herpes". Must be diagnosed by a doctor. Only occurs in celiac patients.) Liver disease Xerophthalmia (an eye disorder which causes the conjunctiva and cornea to become abnormally dry) Night blindness (inability to see well in dim light) Thyroid disease Unexplained neuropathic illnesses, including ataxia and peripheral neuropathy *Peripheral neuropathy (disease, inflammation and damage to the peripheral nerves, which connect the central nervous system to the sense organs, muscles, glands, and internal organs. Damage to sensory nerves may cause numbness, tingling, sensations of cold, or pain, often starting at the hands or feet and moving toward the body center. Damage to the nerves of the autonomic nervous system may lead to blurred vision, impaired or absent sweating, headaches, episodes of faintness associated with falls in blood pressure, disturbance of gastric, intestinal, bladder or sexual functioning, including incontinence and impotence. In some cases there is no obvious or detectable cause) *Ataxia (incoordination and clumsiness, affecting balance and gait, limb or eye movements and/or speech, making one appear as if they were drunk) Dementia Diabetes mellitus type 1 Sjogren's syndrome (eyes, mouth, and vagina become extremely dry) Collagen disorders Down syndrome IgA neuropathy Fibrosing alveolitis of the lung (body produces antibodies against its own lung tissue, creates a dry cough and breathing difficulty upon exertion) Hyposplenism, with atrophy of the spleen (underactive spleen) Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) Lymphoma (any group of cancers in which the cells of the lymphoid tissue multiply unchecked) Leukopenia (abnormal decrease in white blood cells, often reducing immune system function) Coagulopathy (blood clotting disorder) Thrombocytosis (low blood platelets/damaged platelets, causing large amounts of bruises due to uncontrolled bleeding under the skin) Melanosis (black or brown discoloration of the colon, usually due to chronic constipation) Erythema nodosum (red-purple swellings on the legs and sometimes arms, with fever and joint pain)

Reactions to ingestion of gluten can be immediate, or delayed for days, weeks or even months.

The amazing thing about celiac disease is that no two individuals who have it seem to have the same set of symptoms or reactions. A person might have several of the symptoms listed above, a few of them, one, or none. There are even cases in which obesity turned out to be a symptom of celiac disease.

symptoms include slow eventual death

it sort of makes me angry that gluten isnt considered an allergen. Maybe if the symptoms of celiac disease killed you faster it would be paid the attention that it deserves. But whats worse? dying because you left your epi-pen at home, or because the chemotherapy diddnt work, or a seizure turned you into a vegetable, or you loose your limbs one by one due to diabetes, or any of the other ways that untreated celiac can slowly torture you to death.

Sorry to be so morbid, ive just had one too many "sorry, we cant tell you what is in our 'natural flavorings' or what company provides them for us" phone calls.